In ancient times gamers in North America had to wait a year or two after a system was released in Japan to get their hands on that same system, but Sony has put that paradigm on its head with the PlayStation 4's launch. Instead of releasing its latest console system in Japan first, Sony decided to release it in North America and Europe last year instead, making gamers in its home country wait a full three months.

Much to the delight of gamers in Japan, they are new able to purchase the system, which launched today in the region for 41,979 yen, (right around $410 USD). Sony celebrated the PS4 launch with a special midnight launch event featuring Sony executives talking up the system and games, and famous game designers like Metal Gear Solid creator Hideo Kojima.

The PS4 has sold over 5.3 million units as of February 8, according to Sony. No doubt this latest launch will add to that already impressive number.